SSS Ranked Merchant: Rebuilding a Broken Kingdom With Unlimited Wealth-Chapter 27: Venerari Consortium

Before kingdoms were carved into maps and empires rose and fell, there was trade.

And where there was trade, there were those who controlled it.

The Venerari Consortium was never meant to be known by name. To the common folk, they were mere whispers in the wind, an old merchant guild, a relic of the past. But to those who understood the hidden machinery of wealth, they were something far greater.

They were the true architects of power.

They didn't govern. They didn't conquer. They didn't need to.

They owned.

The origins of the Venerari Consortium were lost to time, but old records spoke of a gathering—seven nameless merchants, each from different corners of the world, bound by a single goal.

They were neither kings nor warriors, yet they saw the same truth: Money was the greatest weapon.

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Wars needed steel, armies needed food, rulers needed gold. And if they controlled the supply, they controlled the world.

So, under the guise of a simple guild, the seven merchants laid the foundations of an empire unseen.

They forged contracts that bound rulers to them, not by steel or blood, but by debt. They established trade routes that could bring nations to their knees with a single embargo. They built a network of informants, spies, and assassins, ensuring that any who defied them would fall before they even realized they had an enemy.

No one ruled without their blessing.

The coin Lyrasia now possessed was not an ordinary currency.

To the untrained eye, it was a simple artifact—a relic from an old trade guild. But to those who knew the Venerari Consortium, it was a symbol of both fortune and doom.

Few ever held one of these coins.

Fewer still lived long enough to understand what it meant.

Some claimed it was a mark of favor, granted only to those who had proven themselves invaluable to the Consortium. Others whispered that it was a silent warning, a sign that someone had become entangled in their unseen web.

Whatever the truth was, one fact remained:

No one ever received a Venerari coin by accident.

Usario's eyes widened the moment he saw the coin. His usual composed demeanor cracked, his fingers tightening around the edge of the desk. His gaze flickered between the coin and Lyrasia, as if trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Where... did you get this?" His voice was low, almost a whisper, but there was an edge to it—a mixture of shock and something deeper. Fear? Respect?

Lyrasia, sitting comfortably in the chair far too big for her, swung her little legs and gave him the most nonchalant shrug in existence. "I dunno."

Usario inhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "You don't just... stumble across something like this."

"Well, I did," She crossed her arms.

He didn't dare touch it just yet. His expression was unreadable, but his mind was clearly racing.

"This... this coin is from the Venerari Consortium," he finally said, voice laced with disbelief. "I've been searching for any trace of them for years."

Lyrasia perked up. "Oh? Then you must know all about them!"

Usario let out a bitter chuckle. "Hardly. The Consortium operates in shadows so deep, most scholars refuse to believe they even exist. They aren't just merchants, Lyrasia. They are the true power behind economies, behind trade, behind entire kingdoms. And this kingdom?" He scoffed. "Beyond saving."

A silence settled over the room.

"The royal court fears them," he continued, voice grim. "Anything even remotely tied to the Venerari Consortium is destroyed on sight. Any merchant caught whispering their name disappears overnight. The mere suggestion of their influence is enough to send nobles into a panic." He finally turned his sharp gaze on Lyrasia. "And now, you—some village girl—are sitting here with one of their coins."

Ruan shifted uncomfortably. "But... what does it mean?"

"That's what I need to find out. While I don't know much, I can study it." He finally reached forward, hesitantly taking the coin between his fingers. "The fact that this ended up in your hands means something, Lyrasia." He stared at the small girl, unreadable. "You don't just 'get' a Venerari coin. You're chosen."

Lyrasia frowned, gripping the sides of her chair.

Chosen.

That word left a bitter taste in her mouth.